Sacha Baron Cohen Is Being Sued For US$95 Million

Entertainment

Posted on September 06, 2018

A former US Senate candidate, who is also an ex-judge, has filed a $US95 million ($A132 million) lawsuit accusing Sacha Baron Cohen of defamation for duping him into appearing on the actor's television series Who Is America?

Roy Moore, a Republican and former chief justice of Alabama's Supreme Court, has also brought defamation claims against television network Showtime and its parent, CBS, over a sketch broadcast that appeared to portray him as a sex offender.

Moore lost his Senate race in Republican-dominated Alabama to a Democrat candidate last December after being accused of sexual misconduct toward women when they were teenagers and he was in his 30s.

One woman said he tried to initiate sexual contact with her when she was 14.

The lawsuit, filed on Wednesday, said Baron Cohen's show mocked him with a "false and fraudulent portrayal" that harmed Moore's reputation and caused "severe emotional distress" to his family.

Moore's wife Kayla also is a plaintiff in the lawsuit, which also accuses the defendants of fraud and intentional infliction of emotional distress.

CBS and Showtime did not immediately respond to requests for comment on behalf of the defendants.

In the disputed sketch, Baron Cohen, disguised as a purported Israeli anti-terrorism expert Erran Morad, demonstrated what he said was a device for detecting pedophiles, which beeped when it came into Moore's range.

Moore said he had been tricked into meeting Baron Cohen by being told he was receiving an award for his strong support of Israel, and that he never would have agreed to the interview in Washington had he known that Morad was Baron Cohen.

The lawsuit was filed in the federal court in Washington DC.

AAP.

If you missed the episode in question, you can watch Sacha Baron Cohen interview Roy Moore in the video below.